This invention relates generally to electrical systems within automotive vehicles and specifically to an automotive vehicle interior trim panel and an electrical harness.
It is common to employ wire harnesses for automotive vehicles which have to be individually tailored for particular vehicle options. Conventional wire harnesses employ many discretely insulated copper wires that are wrapped together by tape. Many separate connector terminals and connector housings are fastened to the discrete wires. This arrangement is sometimes prone to rattling when the vehicle is moving and snagging by adjacent parts during installation. Traditional wire harnesses are extremely complex, requiring labor intensive and costly splicing. Such wire harnesses are mounted to vehicle body instrument panels, door panels, floor panels, roof panels, in the engine compartment and in the trunk.
It is also known to provide a two shot injection molded blower switch in an automotive vehicle which has integrally molded male blades formed with rotary switch contacts and a bulb socket. The electrically conductive areas are plated with a conductive metallic material. This part is rigid in all directions and does not incorporate an electrical harness.
Recently, a trend has developed toward modularization of automotive vehicle door and headliner components. For doors, the majority of this modularization has occurred for the door hardware (i.e., mechanical components such as door locks, window lift regulators and the like) and various structural cassettes for mounting to the sheet metal door reinforcement. Examples of such conventional modular vehicle doors are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,206 entitled "Tubular Plastic Mounting Panel for Door Hardware" which issued to Compeau et al. on Jun. 20, 1995; U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,629 entitled "Door Structure for Vehicle" which issued to Kimura et al. on Oct. 18, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,066 entitled "Door Glass Cassette for Vehicles" which issued to Dupuy on Dec. 29, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,659 entitled "Automobile Door Modular Assembly" which issued to Benoit et al. on Mar. 17, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,109 entitled "Automotive Door Assembly having a Plug-In Electrified Interior Panel" which issued to Skrbina et al. on Jul. 24, 1990; U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,585 entitled "Vehicle Door With Separable Door Hardware Module" which issued to Grier et al. on Nov. 22, 1988; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,894 entitled "Lock and Handle Module for Vehicle Door" which issued to Osenkowski on Aug. 5, 1986. All of these patents are incorporated by reference herewithin.
As can be observed in the aforementioned patents, modularization of the electrical and wiring aspects of the automotive vehicle doors has been generally overlooked. Furthermore, due to the traditional design, engineering and manufacturing separation between conventional electrical and interior trim disciplines within the automotive industry, integration therebetween has not significantly evolved. Notwithstanding, it is worth noting U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,203 entitled "Electrical Harnessing Structure for Vehicle" which issued to Sano et al. on Jun. 28, 1994. This patent discloses the use of a flat cable, flexible printed circuit boards and their separate electrical connections behind an instrument panel and door trim panel. However, there is no discussion of a polymeric circuit portion, nor integrally formed connectors or switch contacts. Accordingly, it would be desirable to modularize the electrical harness and trim panel functions and products to achieve the long sought after benefits of true synergistic integration. It would also be desirable to modularize the electrical harness, switch and connector functions.